Packing-gland.



PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.

W. A. BOLE.

PACKING GLAND.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

No. 807,538. v PATBNTED DEC. 19, 1905. W. A. BOLE.

PAGKING GLAND.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I avwe/wto M we... u. mi 7 w' uw -UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM-A. BOLE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR -TO THE WESTINGHOUSE MACHINE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- 'VANIA.

PACKING-GLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed June 9, 1904:. Serial No. 211,833.

To all whom it natty concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. BOLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Packing-Glands, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to packings for piston-rods or other cylindrical, reciprocating, or rotating machine elements; and it has particular reference to packings for the pistonrods of internal-combustion engines.

The high pressures, the relatively high piston speeds, and the heat incident to the operation of internal-combustion engines make the selection and adaptation of material to meet the requirements of a packing for the pistonrods of such engines a matter of considerable importance.

Metallic packing is desirable in order that the heat transmitted to the packing may be conducted away to the cooled portions of the engine as rapidly as possible, and it is believed that such packing is capable of standing the high pressures and temperatures that are encountered more satisfactorily than the fibrous or other styles of packing which have been generally used.

Numerous varieties of metallic packing have from time to time been devised; but those with which I am familiar are either too expensive or have inherent defects which generally render them unsuitable for internalcombustion engines of modern design.

The object of this invention is to produce a metallic rod-packing which may be easily and inexpensively manufactured and installed or assembled and which will meet the requirements in an efficient and satisfactory manner. It has been found that lead or some other soft or self-lubricating metal is desirable, and while I am aware that lead in the form of shot has been utilized as rod-packing for steamengines this form of packing is difficult to handle unless covered by a casing or envelop and is unsatisfactory for combustion-engines on account of the attendant heat. It has been found that if a channel or passage extends through the gland from the interior of the cylinderto the atmosphere that is of suflicient dimensions to permit the passage of any hot gases such gases will in a very short time eat or melt the walls of the passage until a blow-out occurs. It is almost impossible to assemble this shot-like packing so that the same will lie in a uniform manner around the rod, as its tendency in horizontal engines is to settle and form a passage, which invariably results in a blow-out.

In order to produce a packing which has the valuable characteristics of the shot-like packing but without its defects, I have devised a metallic packing comprising a plurality of annular elements each of which surrounds the rod to be packed and is of suflicient plasticity to be flowed as desired to close all channels or passages leading from the cylinder to the atmosphere. The annular elements or plates may be of any desired contour in cross-section so long as they are plastic and capable of being molded, as is necessary.

In the drawings accompanying this application and forming a part thereof and throughout which similar elements are denoted by like characters, Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal section of a gland filled with packing embodying this invention shown before compression or before the plastic elements have been flowed to the final and desired position. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but after compression. Fig. 3 is a fragment of one of the preferred forms of plastic element in perspective. Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of a fragment of one of the separating or director rings used with the plastic elements. Figs. 5 and 6 are similar to Figs. 1 and 2; but in these views a modified form of plastic element is illustrated. Fig. 7 is a view in perspective of a fragment of this modified form, and Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of a fragment of one of the spacers or directors shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Each plastic element of the preferred form, as illustrated in views 1 to 3, in-

elusive, comprises a series of annular plates 9, formed of lead or other suitable soft metal, and each is provided in one face with concentric grooves or depressions 10.

It will be noticed that when a series of these plates are placed side by side around the rod, which may be accomplished by cutting each plate and bending the ends apart sufficiently to span the rod and bending them together again after the ring surrounds the rod, an annular metallic element is formed, which is provided with a number of air-spaces, and that these air-spaces allow the element to be molded under compression imparted through 12, and the nuts 13, the plastic elements, di-

rected by the rings 14, will flow transversely to the axis of the rod, and thereby make close contact with the rod 17 and with the wall 18 of the gland, thereby preventing any passage of hot gases from the interior of the cylinder to the atmosphere.

A modified form of plastic element, which is illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, is composed of a channel-ring 19, that may be cut at two or more points to facilitate assembling. This ring is preferably formed of soft lead, and after it is placed around the rod its channel may be filled with a coil of soft-lead wire 20.

It will be seen that the air-gaps between the turns of the wire 20 will perform the same functions as the air-gaps formed by grooves 10 in plates 9, and when the packing is subjected to compression the side walls of the channel will be forced inwardly at an angle toward one another, and the element composed of the ring 19 and the Wire will be caused to flow transversely to the axis of the rod, as heretofore described.

It will be understood that the form of the plastic metallic annular elements may be varied in many ways from what is shown, and so long as it is provided with air gaps or spaces into which the metal may be forced when subjected to compression it will come within the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 7 1. A rod-packing comprising a plurality of annular, interstitial, plastic, metallic elements and a plurality of unyielding, annular metallic members.

2. The combination with a rod, of a chamber surrounding the same, a plurality of annular, interstitial, plastic, metallic elements surrounding said rod, and means for causing said elements to flow into the desired forms.

3. The combination with a rod, of a chamber surrounding the same, and a plurality of annular, interstitial, plastic, metallic elements within said chamber and surrounding the rod and means for causing said elements to flow transversely to the axis of said rod.

t. A packing comprising a plurality of alternate, interstitial, plastic metallic rings and unyielding metallic rings.

5. The combination with a rod, of a chamber surrounding the same, and a plurality of annular,interstitial,plasticelements surrounding said rod within the chambena plurality of unyielding metallic spacers between said elements having two inwardly-converging faces and means coacting with said spacers, whereby said plastic elements are caused to flow transversely to the axis of said rod.

6. A packing element comprising a series of interstitial, plastic, metallic, annular plates each of which has grooves in one of its end faces.

7. A packing comprising a channeled, interstitial, plastic, metallic ring and a plastic, metallic filling for said channel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 20th day of May, 1904:.

WILLIAM A. BOLE.

Witnesses:

JNo. S. GREEN, BIRNEY HINES. 

